Retaining device for laces.



No. 888,978 I PATEN ED MAY 26, 1903.

J, A. ELPHINSTONEL. RETAINING DEVICE FOR LA-GES.

APPLiOATION FILED. 00123, 1907.

- UNITED srATEs JAMES A; ELPHINSTONE, oii

PATENT OFFICE.

PIrT'SBUR PENNSYLVANIA.

' RETAINING nnvrcn non LACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 23, 1907. Serial No. 398,731. 1

Patented May 26, 1908.

T all whom it concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES A. ELPHIN- STONE, a c1t1zen of the'United States, resid,

ing at Pittsburg, inthe county ofAllgheny in a knot, the looped and loose ends are either left. loosely depending from the-to of the shoe, or tucked into the top of the 0e,

but either arrangement is unsatisfactor in.

that the lace ends especially are very ong and are not retained in place and dangle down, becoming untied or soiled or loosening the knot.

The invention consists of a retainin spring hook adapted for attachment to the shoe top at one side, and so constructed that it will ef-' fectually hold the lace in position, due to the pecililiar construction of the spring arm and ac r.

Referring to the drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view showin the device inuse. Fig. 2 is a plan View, en arged. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional vievsfbn the line III. III. of Fig. 2. i

Thedevice consists of a spring hook having a securing base 2 adapted for attachment by rlvetsor otherwise, witha forwardly extending backportion 3,- forfning one side of the outwardly at its ti 5 for clearance and ease of entrance of the ace ends, the spring hook being joined with back portion 3 by a half 5 round bend 6. v r

As thus made an enlarged interior cavity is'provided atv the inner portion of the space between back 3 and front 4,which ordinarily would be toolarge to have any gripping effect on thelace ends, and for t e of reducing. theispace and for providing 1nterior grippin elements for the lace, each of said elements'is corrugated or provided with.

irregular co-acting faces. Thus the back is provided with one or niore outwardly bulgin ribs 7 while the front gis similarly provide purpose the several ribs of each part'with-ftheir inter vening or flanking recesses beingf'soarranged with relation to each other that the will alternate in position.-- That is lto'say,lt e rib 7 of back 3 projects into the recessbbtween in turn-extend towards the recesses at each side ofrib 7, or the res ective reaction of the seen that when thelace on s are inserted between the back andffront'members they will be forced between the ribs and recesses, occupying a sinuous os'ition from to to bottom. It will be'un erstood that t e ingter- .are inserted the ressure will bind them tightly, gripping t e endsby the ribs and recesses, and'securely holding them against accidental release.

The ribs as shown extend along the body portion of back 3 and front 4 sufiiciently far within the scope of the invention.- What I claim is 7 A lace holder consisting of an attaching base bent upon itself to provide an outer resilient arm and an intervening transverse space and deflected inwardly to form a curved outwardly adjacent tothe ase,-said. base being provided at its rear portion behind such-terminal with an outwardly extending rounded proj'ection longitudinal of its middle, the outer portion of the device having a similar outwardly rounded middle pro ection oplposite said portion, substantially as and for t e purpose set forth.

in presenceof two witnesses.

JAMES A. ELPHINSTONE. A

Witnesses:

C. M Cleans," OnAs. S. Liar With corresponding inwardly bulging ribs 8,

faces at the back and, ont may be reversed, if desired. Bythisaarrangement it will be or Btherwise changed by the skilled mechanic turned terminal closely inwardly extending ribs 8, while said ribs 8- vening space is such) that when the lace ends to embraceand hold -the several ends, the

In testimony whereof my signature 

